Upper South Island and the West Coast
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Upper South Island and the West Coast - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Lewis Pass
Scenic DriveAbout 12 km (7½ miles) south of Murchison, State Highway 6 takes a sharp turn to the right over O'Sullivans Bridge toward the West Coast. If you've decided to skip the coast and head back to Christchurch from here, follow State Highway 65 straight through toward Lewis Pass. The first part of this road is known as "The Shenandoah," which follows the Maruia River valley as it climbs toward the main divide. This is prime farming country bounded by high mountains clothed in thick bush. Check the Maruia Falls, created by the 1929 Murchison Earthquake. Just 15 km (9 miles) before Springs Junction, Reids Store provides a welcome coffee and lunch stop, superior to the offerings farther on at Springs Junction. There's no fuel here, though, so you will have to get that at Springs Junction. From Springs Junction the road starts to climb to Lewis Pass, one of the lowest crossing points over the Southern Alps. Maruia Springs, just west of the pass, has traditional Japanese bathhouses and hot, outdoor rock pools, a restaurant, and accommodations (these are less salubrious and, accordingly, less-crowded than the waters at Hanmer Springs thermal resort town, farther east). Cross Lewis Pass and you're in Canterbury, where the countryside changes to high arid hills. Hanmer Springs is an hour southeast of the pass.
, New Zealand -
2. Murchison District Museum
For a small-town operation this local, community-run museum has a lot to look at. The rustic little building features an exhibit and memorial for the 1929 earthquake here, in which 17 locals died and many more were made homeless. There's also a good collection of farming and agricultural machinery from the town's colonial era, plus displays on the region's gold and coal mining history. The museum is run by a few volunteers who make a valiant attempt to open regularly.
60 Fairfax St., Murchison, Tasman, 7007, New Zealand03-523–9392 -
3. The Natural Flames
There are few places in the world where you can find a natural gas flame, but this is one. In an ancient forest setting near Murchison, there’s been one quietly glowing since the 1920s, and this tour company has sole access rights. The four-hour tour involves a short, scenic drive, education about local oil drilling and farming, a one-hour backcountry walk (you might get wet feet) through farmland and forest to the flames, and a hot brew and pikelets cooked up on the natural fire. Tour groups are restricted to ten people. Booking ahead is essential.
47 Waller St., Murchison, Tasman, 7007, New Zealand0800-687–244-New Zealand onlySight Details
Rate Includes: NZ$105 -
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